MOBILE, Alabama – A change in temperature is believed to be
the cause of a 12-inch water pipe break in west Mobile that forced the Mobile
Area Water and Sewer Service to disrupt service for some residents during Thanksgiving
Day.

The pipe, which burst around noon Thursday, caused portions
of Cottage Hill Road near Able Court to collapse and prompted crews to shut
down the street between University Boulevard and Knollwood Drive.

Barbara Shaw, spokeswoman with MAWSS, said the water utility's
crews anticipate having the road re-opened later Thursday or early Friday.

"They are filling it in and making a repair to the pipe
already," Shaw said. "They will make a temporary patch and then they will come
back at a later time (to permanently fix it)."

Shaw said she was unsure how many people lost water service
during the afternoon, but described the outage as "limited" to a "really small
area." She said service has since been restored to the area.

"It was far less than
we thought would be out," Shaw said. "We were concerned initially. That 12-inch
line serves a large portion of west Mobile."

She added, "It's very unfortunate it happened on
Thanksgiving. It's unfortunate no matter when it happens, but for it to happen
on a holiday was, I'm sure, very challenging for some folks."

Shaw said the situation resulted from the swing in
temperatures that has resulted in recent days. She said MAWSS' crews also had
to address "small breaks" at other locations within its service areas, though none
that caused a broken pipe resulting in collapsed infrastructure.